TAIPEI, Taiwan – The United States should increase and encourage both formal and informal communications with the government of Taiwan and the Taiwanese military during the second term of President-elect Donald Trump, regardless of Beijing’s inevitable response of “anger” and “hurt feelings,” analysts said.
Exchanges between US officials, scholars, and members of research organizations, foundations, and institutions, will be essential for accurate information to be conveyed to both the American and Taiwanese publics and their governments, experts said.
On Thursday, a delegation from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute met with Taiwan President William Lai, Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao and Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung.
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Taiwan President William Lai, right, meets with President and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Center David Trulio in Taipei. (Official photo by I Chen Lin / Office of the President)
“We greatly appreciate the bipartisan support from our American friends and welcome delegations from the US and like-minded countries,” Lin told Fox News Digital in an exclusive comment.
The foreign minister added, “This visit shows Taiwan’s tangible support and contributes to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, which is important to the world’s security and prosperity.”
Speaking in Taipei, David Trulio, president and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, told Fox News Digital, “We met with the President, the Vice President, the Secretary of State, and other government leaders to promote President Reagan’s legacy and our shared values of freedom and democracy.” , economic opportunity, and peace with power.”
President-elect Donald Trump makes remarks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on Jan. 7, 2025. (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)
Describing Taiwan as a “vibrant democracy and an important economic partner of the United States,” Trulio added that visits to Taiwan – by US civil society organizations, foundations, think tanks, and official US government officials – are working “as important opportunities to maintain relations Taiwan’s leaders, solve challenges and opportunities, and openly promote shared values.”
The Reagan Foundation, made up of national security and business leaders, met with representatives of Taiwan’s three major political parties, as well as top Taiwanese government officials, during a weeklong visit to Taiwan, a self-governing island once ruled by Communist China. Beijing claims Taiwan as its territory and never misses an opportunity to make explosive statements against what it calls “divisive powers.”
A screenshot taken from a video shows the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command launching large-scale joint military exercises around Taiwan with naval vessels and military aircraft in China on May 24, 2024. (Feng Hao / PLA / China Military/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s 2024 New Year’s address included claims that “reunification” was a “historical inevitability,” despite the two sides having been ruled separately for more than 70 years. Beijing has refused to pledge to seek only peaceful options for “unity” and says it is reserving the option of using the military.
Although Foreign Minister Lin did not directly refer to the pre-US election comments by then-Republican candidate Trump that “Taiwan should pay for our security,” he did not dismiss the issue. Commenting on Fox News Digital, Lin said, “Taiwan has increased its defense spending by more than 80 percent since 2016, reaching US $ 20 billion US dollars by 2024. In 2025, if the special budget for military procurement included, Taiwan’s total military expenditure is expected to account for 20% of the central government’s annual budget—higher than in the US.”
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President William Lai meets with a delegation from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. (Official photo by I Chen Lin / Office of the President)
This is the second time the Reagan Foundation has led a delegation to Taiwan in as many years. A recent grassroots poll showed about 70-75% of Americans – Democrats and Republicans alike – would support tougher measures if China made the ill-advised choice to use military force against Taiwan. For example, a significant majority agreed that in the event of an attack, the US should immediately recognize Taiwan as an independent nation.
The current reality is that China is facing significant domestic challenges and is not in a strong position. In 2022, despite threats of “serious consequences,” then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, and the Chinese response was not at all negative. The following year, after the Republicans took control of the House, former President Tsai Ing-wen met with then Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy during a stop in California, the first historic meeting between the president of Taiwan and the speaker of the US House in the US. soil.
People walk past the reception desk for then Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, in Taipei, Taiwan, Tuesday, Aug 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
China responded with three days of war games and a simulated blockade of the island, but those exercises and exercises did not demonstrate new capabilities that the US or Taiwanese defense departments did not already know. Speaking after meeting with McCarthy in 2023, President Tsai told the media, “To maintain peace, we must be strong,” clearly paraphrasing former President Ronald Reagan.
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“China can and will scoff at visits, especially involving US government employees in office,” Liam Keen told Fox News Digital via email. “But we cannot allow the theater of ridiculous blockades and sea-launched rockets to in any way hinder US-Taiwan trade.” Keen, who is part of the US-based NGO Formosan Association for Public Affairs, noted that his organization strongly supported and was instrumental in helping the Taiwan Visit Act to be passed by Congress and signed into law by then-President Donald Trump in 2018.
The Taiwan Travel Act – which China predicted bitterly – removed many of the previous restrictions on travel to Taiwan by US officials. Keen noted that “This act passed unanimously in the US Senate. I think China is calling it a ‘red line’ that only strengthened the legislation’s sponsors like Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and [former] Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio., which is the right way to respond to the exploitation by the Chinese Communist Party.”
Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung speaking to a delegation from the US (Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Foreign Minister Lin told Fox News Digital that the Taiwanese government is looking forward to working with the new US administration. “Strengthening economic relations is also important,” he said. “Taiwanese enterprises, such as TSMC which invested 65 billion in Arizona, are increasingly investing in the US” Lin noted that Taiwanese President Lai emphasized the importance of Taiwan’s role in the world, Lin quoted Lai as saying, “Taiwan is very secure . . , the world will be more secure.”
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A war between the US and China over Taiwan would be a disaster for both superpowers and the world. Apart from the horrific loss of life, Bloomberg Economics estimated in 2024 that the “price tag” of such a war would be around $10 trillion; 10% of global GDP – “minus the contribution of the war in Ukraine, the COVID pandemic and the global financial crisis.” Increased communication between the United States and Taiwan to build trust, and transfer accurate, unbiased information is a major key to ensuring such a conflict does not occur.